


Empathy

by Omoni



Series: Random Undertale Stories and Drabbles [20]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alphys/Undyne-centric, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Empathy, Established Alphys/Undyne, F/F, Lewff, Role Reversal, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Undyne has doubts too you know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-07 11:09:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14079579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omoni/pseuds/Omoni
Summary: When Undyne discovers a duet of articles denouncing her part in Alphys's life, she believes them - and concludes that Alphys is better off without her.For AngleJoyce, who wanted a look at how it would be if the roles were reversed.TRIGGER AND CONTENT WARNINGS:-suicide attempt-post-attempt hospitalisation-post-attempt discussion and aftermath-sad, emotional lovemakingPlease consider these warnings before reading this fic.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AngleJoyce](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngleJoyce/gifts).



Once, the roles reversed, and they never forgot it. Ever. It was a moment – a near tragedy – that allowed each other to truly understand how it felt to be on the other side – and thus understand each other.

* * *

_“Alphy,_  
_First, I wanna say, I'm sorry._  
_I'm sorry for this, most of all. This is a rotten thing I’ve done to you – to everyone – but I realised I don't have a fucking choice, anymore. But still, I'm so fucking sorry. This isn't what I promised you when we got married, and it means that the first time I break a promise is the one that means the most to me._  
_You mean the most to me, Alphy. I'm sorry for that, too. I'm sorry that I held you back for so long. Without me, you would've cured the Amalgamates sooner, because you wouldn't of been so distracted by me all the time, always in your way, always annoying you, demanding your attention and devotion and love when I've never fucking deserved it in the first place..._  
_I’m so sorry I took so much away from you, simply because I love – loved – you so much._  
_The thing is, you don't need me. Not anymore. Maybe never. You don't need me anymore, because you've made it. You cured them. You're successful. You're happy. You're so fucking happy. And I have nothing to do with any of that. I never had. I never did. Maybe I make you a little happy, but not the kind you deserve to be. I'm holding you back from that, too._  
_I’m done, Alphy. I'm done with being a burden to you. When I read that fucking article, when I read that sentence, I realised what I’d done to you. It broke my heart._  
_And when I read today's follow-up, I realised I needed to die._  
_They say these things to you because of me. Because they know you deserve so much more, better, the best, than me._  
_I'm too fucking stupid. Too ugly. Too mean. They're right, Alphy. Everyone's been right about me all along. Everything else was a lie, one I sucked you into so well that you bought it._  
_You always say you're garbage, Alphy, but you're not. I am. I’m the one who's a piece of shit, Alphy. This especially proves it._  
_I'm sorry. I love you so fucking much. I wanted to die with you, old and grey and wrinkled but still so in love with you that it keeps me alive, anyway._  
_But I'm holding you back, my love. I’m holding you back._  
_I can't live with that, anymore._  
_I love you so much. I love you so much! This isn't to hurt you. This isn't to make you sad. It's because I love you that I'm doing this! I want what's best for you._  
_I'm not what's best for you. I never was._  
_I'm sorry. I love you. I'm so sorry. I love you so much._  
_Goodbye._  
_Your Undyne.”_

This is what Undyne typed up onto her phone, ready to be sent to Alphys with one push of a button. She sat on the bathroom floor, hunched over her phone and shaking so hard it practically hurt.

Beside her was a pill bottle and a tall glass of water.

She could barely breathe. Every breath was a gasp, one strangled with her sobs, each sob like a knife between her ribs.

She didn't want to do this. She didn't. She _didn't_.

But she had to. She knew she had to. Alphys was better off without her.

She'd been thinking about this for weeks - months, really – by now, but today was the last straw. Today was when she read the follow-up article about her wife’s life and career; the first had been about her success in finding the cure for her biggest failure. A failure she'd made almost seven years ago, now.

The second, the one that finally broke her, was the companion piece, all about Undyne, and how - point-by-point - she'd ruined Alphys's life for almost seven years.

Almost a decade. Alphys had been held back for almost a decade, by Undyne. Both of them had been oblivious to it, too wrapped up in their own foolish delusion to even see it.

But the writer of the article had, and summed it up one perfect, heart-breaking, psyche-destroying sentence.

_“Dr Alphys's accomplishments, until then, had been nothing short of genius, a genius that suddenly became corrupted not long after she met her future wife, Captain Undyne.”_

When she'd read that, Alphys had thrown the magazine across the room with a shriek of rage, her face bright red and her eyes full of tears. Undyne had heard it from the basement and had run upstairs to her, going right to her side and pulling her close.

Alphys had immediately clung to her and told her, then added, “It's _not_ true, it's not _fucking_ true, _it's not fucking true, Undyne!_ I met you _after_ they fell, _after!_ They're _wrong_ , they're _assholes_ , I want to fucking _kill_ them, Undyne! I hate them! _I love you!_ I _always_ will, Undyne! _It's not true!!”_

And she'd then broken down, unable to speak. Undyne comforted her through it, reassured her and agreed with her, and managed to not only calm her down, but cheered her up.

But those words haunted Undyne. She later read the entire article, and felt like she'd been thrown into a blender. She'd never forgotten it.

So it was easy to imagine her heartbreak when she read the follow-up. In it, the things the author had merely hinted and insinuated in the first article were blatantly declared in the second.

It truly broke her.

She'd been on recess break when she checked the daily news on her phone – and found it. She read it in horror, frozen in place, until she suddenly just pocketed her phone and went home, not saying a word to anyone.

She ran home, grabbed the water and the bottle, and went to the bathroom, sobbing so hard she choked and fell to her knees.

All she'd ever wanted for Alphys was to make her happy. All she'd ever wanted for Alphys was for her to be happy and protected and to always know and feel that she was loved.

And today she'd failed.

Making her completely worthless.

She swallowed hard, closing her eye and sitting for a moment, her phone in her hands and her thumb hovering over the send button. She felt herself rocking in place a little, trying to calm down.

There was still time to back out. There was still time to grow up, to grow a pair, to be strong and brave like she'd always hoped and wanted to be...

But then she thought of Alphys's face, how it would look once she read that second article – and realise how true it was...

She couldn't bear that it would be her existence that brought such pain to Alphys.

She opened her eye, her vision blurry with tears and near-shock. She looked at the screen, read over what she'd typed, then shut her eye tight and pressed the button.

When she got the “sent” confirmation, she put her phone face-down on the floor, grabbed the bottle, and opened it.

* * *

Alphys felt her phone buzz at her hip in the middle of class, and couldn't answer it right away. It buzzed twice, but she had to ignore it. She had to finish this lecture; it was a pivotal one that the students needed for their next test. She had to be thorough, and couldn't stop until she finished.

When the bell rang, she waved her students off with a smile and pulled her phone out to check it. There were two texts messages, one from sans, the other from Undyne.

The one from sans was simply: _“go home right now, alphys!!!”_

The second was – she realised by the end – Undyne's suicide note.

She stared at it, shaking by the end, crying so loud that her students from her next class hung back. This was good, as the moment she realised what she'd just read, she turned around and ran out of the classroom, then kept running, every breath a sob.

As she ran, she called for an ambulance, before she accidentally hung up and shoved her phone back into her purse.

_This isn't real, it can't be real, please let it not be real, please let this be a sick joke..._

She got home twenty minutes after she got the text, and she ran in, screaming Undyne's name before she even opened the door, screaming it as she ran around trying to find her, barely able to even breathe.

* * *

Undyne hadn't heard any of it – not even the door opening – by the time Alphys found her. She _did_ hear her suddenly scream, but from so far away that she assumed she was just hallucinating.

By then, she was falling down. There was no question that she was. She felt weak and heavy, and couldn't even keep her eye open. She was lying on her left side; it was how she'd fallen down when the pain of her overdose assaulted her, and when that happened, she felt like she could barely remember how to breathe, let alone hold herself up. She felt her body shaking, and she struggled to stop it, because it hurt so much, but she couldn't – they were seizures. She kept having to spit out sour, bitter, and sometimes coppery liquid, stuff that kept coming up every time her body stopped shaking, and she was starting to lose the strength to do that.

She then began to wonder why it even mattered, anymore.

Which meant she was almost gone, now.

Alphys knelt down and grabbed hold of her quickly, slipping her arm under Undyne's neck, her other hand going to her head to hold it up, and she held her close. Undyne's eye was, when barely open, unfocused, terrifyingly blank and dark, and she was drooling both bile and blood. She was so heavy, limp and unmoving, her skin greying, the yellow of her eye greying, too…

“Undyne,” Alphys shouted, tapping her pale cheek and making sure that her head was elevated but to the side, so that she wouldn't suffocate on her own vomit. “Undyne, can you hear me? Can you hear me?!”

She could, but barely. It was like being submerged beneath water: she knew the sounds were words, but couldn't understand them. She wanted the pain to stop. She wanted it all to stop. She begged her body to just hurry up and die.

She didn't even realise Alphys was there – perhaps the worst part of all. If she had, she would've at least tried to hold on.

But she didn't.

“Undyne, throw up!” Alphys cried. She was panicking, not even aware of what she was saying, and she spoke purely from that panic. All she could think about was that Undyne had overdosed, and if she threw it up, she had a better chance of surviving...

Undyne didn't hear it, didn't feel it. She didn't even realise her eye was still open. Her left eye, beneath the patch covering it, glittered a little, enough to show, but not bright enough for Alphys to catch it, and it was in vain, anyway: Undyne was too weak to even call upon _that_ power.

All Undyne could do was wish for death, plead for it, beg it to take her away from this misery...

“Undyne, please!” Alphys sobbed, tapping her cheek again, pulling her closer and resting her cheek against her forehead for a moment, feeling how cold she already was. “Undyne, _please_ , throw it up! Throw it up, Undyne! Please, throw up! _Please, Undyne!!”_

She couldn't stop begging her, couldn't stop rocking her slowly, couldn't stop tapping her cheek and pleading with her.

When the paramedics finally reached them, Undyne finally got her wish.

She forgot how to breathe, stopping completely, and her chest began to hurt, her mind hazing over…

Then, in complete silence, Undyne's eye just rolled up and closed, showing only a slit of yellow, and she went limp in Alphys’s arms.

“No,” Alphys gasped out. “No. _No!_ Undyne?! _Undyne!!”_

She was about to lie Undyne down, about to check for her breathing and her heartbeat, but she suddenly felt unfamiliar hands pull her back and away from Undyne, before she could even try. She hadn't even heard the sirens, hadn't even heard them come into the room.

All she cared about, now, was saving her wife.

But Undyne was gone, now - in the dark, and alone.

Alphys screamed, then. It was a kind of sound that she'd never made, before, a kind that she never even knew she _could_ make. But she made it, and it was long, shrill, and full of deep, horrible pain.

She watched them from clouding vision, her throat aching and her whole body straining to get to Undyne, feeling more and more hands on her, holding her back to keep her from her wife.

It was agony. It was torture. It was making her lose her mind.

So she screamed, over and over, as if doing so could change what she was seeing.

Especially when they grabbed a defibrillator.

When she saw that – saw it, and understood it – she went silent with her terror, _completely_ silent. It was only when they shocked Undyne that her screams returned, and she started fighting them again, her mind shredding to bits, her soul shattering like an egg on pavement...

Then, she felt a sting in her neck, one she didn't understand, didn't comprehend – but it silenced her immediately. She kept trying to fight, but her body was heavy and clumsy. She heard herself growl, her hands reaching for her wife, even as her vision started to darken.

_No, no, no, nonono, no! No!!_

_NO! UNDYNE!! NO!!_

Then, she dropped, too, and fell into a darkness of her own.

* * *

Alphys woke up to a voice calling her name urgently. She stirred, confused and concerned, and when she realised she had a body, again, she commanded it to open its eyes.

She found herself lying on a lounge chair, one set up in what looked like a small room, the wall in front of her curtained. Her vision was too blurry to make anything else out, yet.

“Alphys, can you hear me?”

She nodded, turning toward the voice. When she focused, she found herself flanked by Dreemurrs: Asgore on her left and Toriel on her right. She jumped in surprise, then winced: it hurt her head.

“Can you speak?” Asgore asked her, as it had been his voice that woke her.

“…Y-yes,” she stammered, still confused.

Then, her eyes met Asgore's, and she jolted, her breath catching. She scrambled up, trying to get to her feet, but she got tangled in the blanket that had been placed over her and fell back down on the chair.

“Undyne!” she cried, trying again – and falling again. “Undyne! I-I need to--!”

Toriel reached out and grabbed Alphys's other hand, pulling her back down onto the chair and – with Asgore – holding her in place. “Doctor,” she said sharply. “Stop.”

“No, no, _no!”_ Alphys cried, desperate, now – so desperate that she started scratching at their hands, so panicked she didn't even realise it. “Undyne! _Undyne_ \--!”

“Undyne's alive, Alphys!” Toriel spoke up quickly, making sure her voice was loud enough to speak over Alphys's. “She's alive, she's here, with you! Alphys, stop, stop and look around you!”

Alphys didn't at first, until the words finally soaked in, and she understood them. She looked – and found herself next to a cot. One occupied.

By Undyne.

“Oh, god!” Alphys sobbed. This time, the Dreemurrs helped her get to her feet, and she shakily lunged forward, startling Frisk into moving aside to make room for her, giving her their chair. Alphys sank down into it, sobbing again and reaching forward, grabbing Undyne's cold hand between hers, one fitted with an IV. She pulled that hand to her cheek, pressing it there and holding it in place, lowering her head for a moment as she cried for her wife.

Undyne was unconscious, on oxygen and saline. She'd survived her heart stopping thanks to her own determination, but it was not enough to be saved from harm. She'd been too far gone to give her something to purge the pills on her own, so they'd had to pump her stomach. The damage was bad; she ended up with a stomach ulcer and damaged kidneys. Her liver was also showing signs of fatty tissue, which could cause future problems if not managed.

Given the kind of medicine she'd abused, the staff were concerned she'd have brain damage, but luckily was spared it. She had yet to wake up, though, which was a slight concern.

But she was alive.

Her face was pale, not grey, and while she was cold, she wasn't icy, like she had been. And her face... It was relaxed, no longer crumpled in pain.

“Undyne, my love,” Alphys sobbed, kissing Undyne's fingers. She heard Asgore and Toriel talk softly with Frisk, but she ignored it all. “Undyne, it's me,” she went on. “Undyne... Undyne?”

Undyne didn't even twitch.

“Is...? Is she...?” Alphys whispered, her eyes wide with terror and locked on Undyne's face.

She felt Asgore touch her shoulder, and she looked up, her eyes wide and full, trembling. “No,” he murmured, reaching up and touching her cheek, brushing her tears away gently. “She's not comatose, nor brain-damaged. She's just recovering.”

Alphys closed her eyes and sniffled, more tears rolling down her cheeks. She nodded. “As-Asgore, I-I'm...” she tried, but she choked.

He understood, anyway. “Everything's alright. Are you alright, being alone with her for a while? We need to, uh, eat.”

She nodded. “Th-thank,” she stammered, her voice choked off again with more tears. She knew the real reason why they were leaving, and was grateful.

When she was alone, she leaned forward, resting upon Undyne's bed, holding that cold hand to her cheek as she buried her face into the sheets beneath her. She burst into tears, again, babbling as she did, unable to shut up.

“Please, Undyne,” she pleaded desperately between short, hiccupping sobs. “Please wake up. Pl-please. You... you're... you're... m-my _life_...” She keened out softly, shaking her head slowly. “You're... you're my _everything_... _please, Undyne_...”

She went quiet, then, still crying, but softly, the weeping of someone on the brink of losing everything.

* * *

Undyne woke up to the sound of whispering. She didn't understand what it was until she focused, and when she did, her ears twitched, trying to clear the fuzziness in them.

“… _not_ ugly,” she heard. “Beautiful... _so_ beautiful... And you _are_ smart, in so many ways, in ways I'll never be, in ways I'll never understand...”

Undyne's heart suddenly sped up, her eye burning with tears.

She knew that voice. She loved that voice. She wanted more of that voice.

“Undyne...” That voice was soft and drained, so sad, but still slightly tinged with hope – desperate hope. “You were never a burden to me... You were the one who always carried me... I didn't know... I didn't know _you_ needed to be carried, sometimes, too...”

Undyne's heart ached, now. The moment she realised she was alive, she felt regret and shame fill her – until she heard that voice. When she heard it, she still felt those things, but they were balanced by warmth and care, the kind only Alphys could ever give her – and always did.

“Please, Undyne, just ask me,” Alphys begged. Her voice broke several times, but she didn't stop talking. “Ask me to hold you up. Ask me to hold you close. I will, Undyne. I'm strong enough! I'm strong enough, I _promise_!”

Her voice had risen, before it broke again and silenced her. When she didn't continue, Undyne felt her eye fill with tears. She concentrated harder, focusing on one part of her body, just the one, the only one that mattered right now – and she felt it respond.

When Undyne's hand closed around Alphys's, Alphys yelped and sat up, startled. She didn't understand it at first, until her mind caught up, and she yelped again, this time standing up. She kept hold of that hand and pulled it to her chest, then leaned down and hugged Undyne tight, bursting into tears.

Undyne gritted her teeth and again concentrated, and slowly, shakily, her other hand moved up and touched Alphys's arm, closing her fingers around it tightly. Alphys choked out Undyne’s name at that, her claws digging into her back, and Undyne nodded slightly, trying to rub her cheek against Alphys's wet one.

“Undyne, my love,” Alphys sobbed. “My love... Undyne... My love, my Undyne...”

She couldn't say anything else, now. Just those three words, in various order, as she clung to her wife tight, breathing in her scent and listening to her breathe and try to speak, feeling her hands upon her body and relishing each touch...

Undyne cried, too. Her tears were nothing compared to Alphys's, but they still hurt her and wore her out. Her throat hurt, the mask was too tight upon her face, and the IV stung, but when she heard Alphys say her name and call her her love, nothing hurt, anymore.

Then, Alphys suddenly cried out, “Don't leave me! Don't _ever_ leave me, again! _Please_ , Undyne, I can't live without you! _I can't!”_

Undyne swallowed hard, the words striking her deeply. Alphys had never said it before, but now that she had, Undyne suddenly realised it had been true all along.

And Undyne had fucked up, big time.

She reached up and tugged on Alphys harder, her tears getting worse, and Alphys moved closer, kissing her cheeks, her forehead, even upon her oxygen mask, before burying her face into Undyne's shoulder, still holding her hand to her chest; Undyne's other hand was now on Alphys's back, her nails digging in a little.

“I love you,” Alphys stammered. “Don't leave me! Please! I love you _so much_ , I know it's not a lot, I know I'm horrible, but please, Undyne, _please, Undyne, please--!”_

Undyne pulled her hand away from Alphys's back and placed it over Alphys's mouth. When she did, she managed to open her eye halfway, and see her wife once more, when she'd accepted she'd never see her again. Alphys pulled her hand to her cheek, closing her eyes, her expression so full of both sorrow and joy that Undyne's eye filled with more tears.

“M-my... Alphy... my... l-love...” she croaked out, her voice barely a whisper.

But Alphys heard it, and her eyes snapped open, filling with more tears. She bit her lip, cutting off a sharp cry, before she leaned down again and pressed her forehead to Undyne's shoulder.

Neither moved for a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

Undyne fully recovered physically with a few more days – and a great deal of help from her determination. Mentally and emotionally, however, took her longer, and it was only from Alphys that she managed it.

As far as Undyne knew, Alphys never left her side. She only left when Undyne was asleep, and even then, very reluctantly. Because she’d gone into shock and thus been sedated, Alphys had also been admitted as a patient. Therefore, when the staff saw how both were improved by the other, they kept Alphys as a patient in order to keep them together.

It was this devotion, this dedication, that began to heal Undyne's mind and soul. Alphys was her primary caregiver in every regard, and Undyne found herself falling in love with her all over again – and harder than before.

By the time she was discharged and ready to go home – after promising to visit the psychiatric staff every day for the week she needed to recover – Alphys was with her, helping her bathe and dress.

The moment the IV was removed from her hand, Undyne started crying silently, unable to speak.

She hadn't stopped by the time they made it home, helped in by Alphys, whose arm was firmly around her waist, keeping her on her feet. She cried as Alphys walked her to their bedroom, and she cried when Alphys helped her lie down and get comfortable.

When Undyne was tucked in and relaxed, Alphys knelt down at the side of the bed and took her hand, kissing the palm before holding it to her cheek. It was warm, and she relished that simple fact.

“Alphy,” Undyne whispered, her voice thick with the tears she still shed.

“Yes, love?” Alphys replied.

“Hold me?”

Alphys's eyes softened, and she nodded, getting up and going over to the other side of the bed, before joining her and moving close to her, wrapping her arms around Undyne's waist and burying her face into her hair, her eyes closing as the scent of it – and thus Undyne – filled her senses and soothed her.

Undyne shifted, grabbing hold of Alphys’s arms and trying to pull them tighter around herself, desperate for that comfort. Alphys understood and held her firmer, and Undyne closed her eye and continued to cry – only this time, louder and messier than before.

Alphys held her through it, kissing her and whispering comforting, truthful words to her. Undyne listened, sewing those words to her frayed heart, and with them, patching up and making her heart almost whole, again.

When Undyne exhausted herself and fell asleep, Alphys stayed where she was. She bit down hard on her lip to keep herself quiet, but she cried, too.

 _This is what it feels like,_ she realised. _Every time I get suicidal, every time Undyne catches me with a knife or pills... This is what she feels. This is what she goes through._

_It's awful. It's horrible._

_Why would I ever do this to her?! I’m cruel, I'm so cruel, I’m disgusting, I'm..._

Suddenly, her thoughts went a different route, and she thought, _Is Undyne cruel and disgusting for what she's done?_

 _No,_ she concluded. _Just... broken. Sad and broken. I know she didn't do it to hurt me._

_This is how she feels when it happens with me. So she feels the same feelings. Not hatred or disgust. Not loathing and exhaustion._

_Sadness. Helplessness. Desperation. Panic._

_Fear and dread._

_Pain._

“F-fuck,” Alphys blurted out, unable to keep it in. She shuddered, cuddling closer to Undyne, before she, too, cried herself to sleep.

* * *

That night, for the first time in days, Undyne woke up alone.

She'd slept the entire day away; she'd been lacking the proper amount of sleep that she'd needed while hospitalised, and had used the whole day to catch up. She'd slept hard, and nothing had woke her until now, not even her hunger - or, she realised, her bladder, which had only now just woken her up. She scrambled to her feet, blushing, and went to the bathroom quickly and without thought.

But those thoughts caught up to her once she'd finished and was washing her hands. Her eye fell on the floor, and she froze, the blood leaving her face.

The floor was stained, she realised. Between the tiles and staining the grout was a strange discolouration, and it upset her before she even understood why.

But when she did understand, she gasped, her hands going over her mouth. She dropped to her knees, her eye on those now-permanent marks, and burst into tears.

Alphys heard her break down, and ran right to the bathroom, kneeling beside her and, without a question or even a word, pulled her into her arms, holding her close and stroking her hair as she sobbed.

It was both Undyne's blood and bile that now permanently stained their bathroom floor. Every single time, Undyne knew, that she'd see it, she would remember what she'd done – and almost done – and feel herself crumble inside with guilt and shame.

Like right now.

“Shh...” Alphys was whispering into her ear, kissing her cheeks gently and holding her closer. Undyne clung to her tight, burying her face into her shoulder, unable to speak, but it was okay: Alphys still kept her close, and that was what she wanted to ask for.

“Where...?” Undyne blurted out between sobs, surprising them both. “Where... you... when...? Where...?” She felt stupid; she couldn't word it properly in her woe, and wished she were psychic.

Alphys surprised her, though: she actually understood what she was trying to ask – and even answered. “I'm sorry,” she murmured, kissing the top of Undyne’s head. “I didn't know you'd be awake this soon. I was just working. I'm so sorry you woke up alone...”

Undyne dug her nails into Alphys's back hard at that, gritting her teeth together and choking off what she knew would've been a loud, broken sob. Alphys still heard it for what it was and gathered her closer, feeling the sting of pain from those nails but without wincing.

“I'm here,” Alphys reminded her. “Right here. I can hold you up, o-okay? I'm strong enough. I promise you.”

“Alphy... love... oh, _fuck... Alphy._..!” Undyne sobbed, submitting to her emotions and allowing herself to break down in her wife's arms, knowing that what she said was true – and wanting to be held up, too.

For a while, Alphys held Undyne on the floor of their bathroom, in such a completely different way than she had days before. Both were aware of this, especially when Alphys finally noticed what had set Undyne off, but neither mentioned it.

She'd tried to clean it as Undyne slept. She really had. She'd tried with everything she had to make those stains go away. They'd been untouched for days upon the tiles, allowing them to soak in and dry – and therefore stain.

While there hadn't been a large amount to clean, it was still enough to hurt Alphys, too, and she cried as she cleaned it up. Yet even her tears weren't enough to completely wash it all away – and thus there they were.

When she realised that Undyne's tears had calmed into soft, minute weeping, Alphys leaned close and whispered into her ear, “Let's get you back to bed, okay? Does your stomach hurt? Are you hungry?”

Undyne suddenly shivered, surprising them both, when Alphys's lips accidentally brushed over her ear briefly as she spoke, and she burrowed deeper into those arms, just holding Alphys against her for another moment.

The longer she held Alphys, the more she felt. The more she felt, the more she needed. And what she needed above all – even food – was Alphys.

Undyne tried to reply, but was too choked up and thirsty to do so. Alphys helped her to her feet and walked her back to their bed, then helped her lie back down and get her comfortable. Then, Alphys knelt down beside Undyne's bedside and touched her cheek – which was now red and warm, something she assumed was merely from tears – with a soft smile.

When she saw that smile, Undyne's eye filled with more tears, and she reached up and cupped Alphys's face between her hands, biting down on her bottom lip hard. Alphys closed her eyes and smiled wider, reaching up to hold her hands in place.

“Alphy,” Undyne began, but her voice broke, and Alphys's eyes opened again.

“You need water,” Alphys concluded. “I’ll get you some. Do you want something to eat, too? Some soup? You can't have solids yet until the-the ul-ulcer heals a bit more. I can get you ice cream, too!” She added that with a brighter smile, her eyes sparking with mirth, and to her joy, she saw a small spark in Undyne's eye in reply. “I'll get you ice cream,” she decided, and that spark returned briefly when Undyne nodded.

Alphys leaned forward to kiss her forehead, but Undyne suddenly shifted her hands and moved her face down, and instead, their lips met. Alphys blinked in surprise, but Undyne suddenly sat up a little and wrapped her arms around her wife, pulling her closer. Alphys stumbled a little, but Undyne caught her and pulled her to her feet, their kiss not pausing even once.

Alphys felt herself pulled even closer, and she sat down on the edge of the bed. The moment that happened, Undyne grabbed hold of her and suddenly slipped her tongue between Alphys's lips, touching it to her own. They both shivered that time, and Alphys's eyes fluttered closed, relaxing and returning that deep kiss at last.

Undyne was shaking, still crying. She couldn't help this, all of this. She had no idea what had even come over her, but now that it had, she couldn't hold it back. She slipped her hands beneath Alphys's shirt, her fingers brushing over soft, bare skin, and she felt it break out in gooseflesh – and Alphys shifted nearer, her breathing getting faster with every moment.

However, when Undyne moved her hands up to unhook Alphys's bra, Alphys jolted, coming back to herself, and she broke away reluctantly, keeping her eyes closed and pressing her forehead to Undyne's. Both were out of breath, now, and both held onto each other tight.

“Don't stop,” Undyne suddenly pleaded, her voice tiny. She bit her lip, keeping her eye closed, and her hands reached up to Alphys's face, again, stroking her cheeks. “Please. Don't stop...”

“Undyne, you need to drink something, love,” Alphys whispered, her voice hoarse with her own held-back desire. “It's been hours. And you need to eat, too.”

“I need _you,”_ Undyne corrected.

“You have me,” Alphys promised, sliding her fingers through Undyne's sleep-tangled hair. “But I need you to let me take care of you.”

Undyne nodded, sighing shakily. “I... I would love... ice cream,” she admitted shyly, still holding Alphys's face in her hands.

Alphys suddenly giggled softly, and Undyne's eye opened in surprise, the sound bringing a wave of joy to her. “Flavour?”

“Coffee, please.”

Alphys giggled again, her tail a blur. In this moment, she felt so happy, so relieved, that she couldn't help it. Their eyes met, and Undyne's face went redder, her eye wavering – but then she smiled.

It was tiny, so tiny, but it was real. Undyne was smiling, for real, for the first time since this whole thing happened, and the sight stunned Alphys into silence and immobility.

Then, she whispered, “Goddammit, you're so _beautiful.”_

Undyne stared at her, her smile vanishing in shock. She felt her heart ache, and her eye filled with tears, again. She couldn't hold them back. Those words, those easily-spoken words, struck Undyne's heart with immense force. She didn't cry from sadness, but from gratitude – and love.

But Alphys misunderstood, and she paled, looking deeply apologetic. “Oh, love, I’m sorry,” she murmured. “You're so tired... I didn't m-mean to...” She pulled away, her face pained. “I'll g-get the... the-the ice cream...”

She slipped away and hurriedly walked out, her hand over her mouth to keep herself quiet until she got out of Undyne's hearing range. The moment she reached the kitchen and pulled down a bowl, she started crying. She felt awful for kissing Undyne like that; she felt as if she'd taken advantage of her in her vulnerable state, and for selfish reasons, too.

But that wasn't it at all. Undyne didn't feel used or taken advantage of. She was the one who initiated that kiss – and begged for more. She didn't understand why Alphys was so upset. She curled up into a ball under the duvet and closed her eye tight, hoping Alphys rushed and came back as soon as possible.

Alphys moved slow, but she did come back with a bowl full of ice cream, and a glass of water, smiling weakly. Undyne looked up at her, her eye sparking again, and Alphys set both on the nightstand and helped her sit up, again, before handing the bowl to her.

Undyne took it, her eye on Alphys's face, before she murmured, her spoon poised over it, “Please sit with me? Hold... hold me?”

Alphys smiled, then sat down on the bed with her, moved to prop herself up against the headboard of the bed, and held her arms out to her. Undyne immediately moved into them, leaning back into them and resting her head upon Alphys's shoulder, closing her eye as Alphys's arms encircled her and held her firmly within them. It was only then that she started to eat – and keep eating, as with that first bite, she realised she really was hungry.

When Undyne began eating for real – and with obvious interest and growing pleasure – Alphys felt herself relax. She held Undyne firmly against her, resting her cheek atop Undyne's head with her eyes closed, unable to speak for the moment. When she heard Undyne sigh deeply between spoonfuls, her eye closing for a moment with another tiny smile, Alphys smiled, too.

She suddenly snapped to attention when she felt Undyne set the bowl upon her lap. Alphys looked at her, and found her staring up at her with an expression she never expected to see this soon: mischievous. That smile widened and curved, and she nudged the now-empty bowl, her eye sparking yet again – and making Alphys's heart sing.

“I know you love coffee. Lick it clean,” Undyne then said, her voice wavering with her own amusement, and Alphys snorted – then burst into giggles, surprising them both.

But then, what she did next made Undyne beam at her, her grin wide: Alphys picked up the bowl and licked it clean, staring at Undyne as she did with her eyebrows raised and a smile playing around her lips. Undyne gaped at her, her face scarlet and her smile bright, and the moment Alphys had finished and set the bowl aside, Undyne pounced.

Alphys squeaked the moment Undyne landed on her, but she was silenced seconds after, when Undyne kissed her again, tasting of sweet coffee, now. When that happened, Alphys realised how foolish she'd been, and she immediately returned it, wrapping her arms around Undyne and pulling her even closer.

For several heat-filled, desperate moments, it was just that: urgent, passionate kissing, interrupted only by the removal of clothing or whispered names and cries between shaky breaths. By the time they were both completely naked, Undyne was straddling Alphys, keeping her pinned to the bed and kissing her so deeply that she moaned softly, squirming a little – especially when Undyne's hand moved down from her breast to between her legs.

“Undyne,” Alphys gasped out the second those lovely fingers stroked along the soft folds of her cunt slowly. She felt Undyne smile against her lips, and again Alphys squirmed, arching back and wrapping her tail around Undyne's shin tight. Then, she grazed her teeth along the curve of Alphys's neck, at the same time sliding her fingers deep within her.

Alphys groaned between her teeth, her eyes closing tight and her claws digging into Undyne's shoulders. Undyne raised her head and looked at her, and she felt a jolt. Alphys was grinning, her face bright red and her eyes crescents in her bliss. Undyne knew for a fact that Alphys didn’t even know she was smiling, and that alone made Undyne feel so much affection all at once. Her eye stung, but she blinked hard, and managed to stay calm.

“Alphy, I love you so much,” she whispered, instead, before she kissed her lips again.

Alphys grunted and grabbed hold of her face, retuning the kiss – but not before she murmured, “I love you,” in return.

When she did, she shifted her hips up to meet the next thrust of Undyne's fingers, ensuring that they'd hit deep. When they did, Alphys again groaned, her mind hijacked by Undyne completely, now – and willingly, too. Her hands moved down, her fingers soon tracing the gills along Undyne's sides. Undyne gasped, her eye squeezing shut, and she jerked a little in her shock, in turn bringing her fingers deeper within Alphys – and causing _her_ to gasp, instead.

Undyne was losing it, and fast. She buried her face between Alphys's breasts, her other hand the only thing keeping her sitting up; the rest of her trembled, both from Alphys's touches – and from the sudden weight of her emotions she felt from being touched. She'd allowed herself to push anything but desire away, but whenever she heard Alphys say her name, or felt her fingers brush feather-light along her sides, or even saw her eyes open and staring at her, their colour dark and warm and glinting just for Undyne, alone...

When that happened, she lost it. She pulled her hand away quickly, surprising Alphys into jumping and looking up again, her hands freezing. Undyne spared a few seconds to lick her fingers, before she pounced again, this time pressing the length of her body alongside Alphys's, her eye locked on her wife's face as she did. Alphys went scarlet, blushing down to her chest, and her eyes rolled up as she arched her back, wrapping her legs around Undyne's waist tight, her tail grabbing her shin again.

Then, Alphys gasped out, her fingers resuming their gentle caresses, “Kiss me, Undyne, _please...”_

Undyne growled and lunged, capturing Alphys's lips with her own, her hand slipping between them and moving down again, only this time, she touched herself, first, then Alphys, before moving it away. When Alphys nodded, growling softly from deep in her chest, Undyne shuddered and lowered herself down, making sure their flesh met and rubbed close.

The second that happened, though, instead of getting caught up and going crazy, Undyne suddenly froze, her eye going wide and her breath catching. She started shaking again, and when Alphys felt that – and her lack of movement – she opened her eyes and moved her hands up to Undyne's face, searching it closely. Undyne was pale, looking slightly panicked, and her eye was full of tears. She held herself up on her hands, but she had to grit her teeth to keep them from clicking together.

“Sorry,” Undyne whispered, lowering her head so that her hair hid her face. “I'm sorry. Just... give me a sec...”

Alphys relaxed beneath her, surprising her, and when she looked up, Alphys was nodding, her expression tender and full of understanding. Undyne stared at her, her throat started to hurt from how much she held back.

When Alphys gently pulled her head down to kiss her eyes – both of them – Undyne shivered and inhaled shakily, pressing her forehead to her wife's and keeping her eye closed. Alphys closed hers, too, one hand reaching up and stroking the hair from her face.

“We can stop,” she then whispered. "It's okay."

Undyne's ears twitched; she could tell Alphys was being honest with her, and that it wouldn't upset her if they did stop. She didn't know why she assumed that Alphys would lie about something like that, especially now, but she had – and was glad to be wrong.

“N-no,” Undyne murmured, swallowing hard. “I-I just... I’m just...” Her voice caught, and her tears fell free, her face crumpling.

This wasn't how she wanted this to go. This wasn't what she wanted at all. She'd wanted to get lost in Alphys's love, let it heal her, but here she was, frozen and crying.

“I-I just...” she tried again, but again, her voice cracked, and she lowered herself down and buried her face into Alphys's shoulder, unable to hold back her tears, anymore.

Alphys not only held her close, but pulled a blanket over them both, as she'd noticed that Undyne was shivering and thought she was cold. She wasn't, but the blanket was still comforting, and she buried herself deeper beneath it.

“When you're ready, we can talk it through, okay?” Alphys then murmured, resuming her gentle petting of Undyne's hair. “Like I said, Undyne: I'm here to help you carry it, and I will. I meant that.”

Undyne couldn't speak. Not after hearing those words. It was true that Alphys had said it before, but Undyne hadn't really accepted it until now. And now that she had accepted it, she was speechless.

“This whole thing,” Alphys went on, staring up at the ceiling as she spoke. “It's made me understand things, better. It's made me really understand things, better. Like... like when I get that way... too.”

Undyne nodded, listening with every fibre of her being. Alphys's voice was always a comfort, but the words were a second layer to that comfort, and Undyne needed them both.

“I didn't know, Undyne,” Alphys admitted, still staring up at the ceiling – though now her eyes filled with tears. “That terror... that mind-blowing terror...” She sniffled, something that surprised Undyne into looking up a little. “I had no idea I did that to you. And I hate that it took something like this to get me to understand that...”

Undyne bit her lip, curling closer around Alphys and touching her cheek, brushing the tears away gently with her thumb. She kept quiet, so Alphys went on.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I'm so sorry I did that to you. And...” She winced, covering her eyes with her free hand. “I'm sorry... I’m sorry I didn't see your pain... I’m so sorry I didn't see it until too late...”

“Alphy,” Undyne broke in gently, shifting to lie down beside her and sitting up. She, too, was still crying, but she had to say something. “I... I didn't _let_ you see it. I didn't _want_ you to see it. I... I hid it from you, because I was ashamed... because... I knew the articles were right--,”

Suddenly, Undyne found herself on her back, with no memory of how she'd ended up that way. She'd barely blinked when Alphys suddenly jumped on her and pinned her to the bed.

When she saw Alphys's expression, her heart ached, and she was immediately regretful.

Alphys was _angry_. Her eyes were blazing and bright with that fury, her teeth bared and her whole body shaking, her tail rigid and twitching. She still cried, but it was now mostly from that same anger.

“No,” she snarled, her voice so low and furious that Undyne was spellbound. “Undyne, _goddammit!_ They _weren't_ right! Ever! Never! Not even fucking _close_ to being right!!”

Undyne stared up at her, her mouth open but no sound coming out. She was still stunned, and couldn't even move, much less talk.

“Listen to me,” Alphys went on, her voice rising – and breaking – the longer she spoke. “There are only two people who get to decide whether or not this relationship works. There are only two people who get to judge this relationship, to have input on that relationship, to even request _anything_ of it!”

Alphys paused, taking a shaky breath. _”You and me, Undyne!”_ she cried, her claws digging into Undyne's shoulders. _“We_ get to decide what is best for us! I don’t remember having a triad relationship with that fucking magazine! So why the hell would they ever have a say about what is right and wrong for us?!”

Undyne bit her lip, then, reaching up slowly and replacing her hand on Alphys's cheek. Alphys closed her eyes for a moment from that, leaning into it a little, before they opened – and she went on.

“I almost lost you because of what some asshole we don't even _know_ wrote about us!” Her voice was high, now, strained with the grief she kept having to shove down in order to speak. “Undyne, _please_ , believe me, _please!_ I wouldn't of been able to do _any_ of it without you! I wouldn't of cured them, wouldn't of met Frisk, wouldn't of reached the surface…”

Alphys reached up and grabbed hold of Undyne's hand, pressing it harder to her cheek _. “I wouldn't even be alive without you, Undyne!!”_ she concluded, before she choked and lowered her head, bursting into tears.

Undyne was overwhelmed, then, with that last admission. When she heard it, and understood it, she closed her eye tight.

_I knew it. I was right, then._

_Fuck..._

All of these years, she'd never asked, too terrified of the answer. She already knew, and didn't want to hear it, didn't want to be right. But she was. And had been all along.

“You _were_ gonna jump,” she whispered, her other hand going to Alphys's other cheek – one Alphys grabbed and held in place with the other. “When we met. You were about to jump.”

Alphys nodded, her eyes shut tight, unable to speak.

“It happened that day, didn't it?”

Alphys nodded again, her next breath a sob. Then, she said, “Everything I've ever done that's been good is because of you, Undyne.”

Undyne opened her eye, then, looking up at her wife – her best friend, her lover, her soulmate, her Alphy – and whispered, “I believe you, now. I'm sorry…”

Alphys shook her head, then lowered down and curled around her, burying her face into the curve of Undyne's neck. Undyne wrapped her arms around her and held her close.

“I'm sorry,” she answered, her voice muffled. “I'm sorry, Undyne... I’m sorry that you felt that way...”

“I'm sorry you do, too,” Undyne admitted, resting her cheek against the top of Alphys's head.

“I haven't,” Alphys said. “N-not in a... in a long time...” She curled closer. “And that's because of you, too...”

Undyne shivered again, but not from pain or cold. Rather, she shivered from the way Alphys had said those words: calm, even, and without hesitation.

She shivered, because she felt herself once again fall in love with her wife with one small sentence. One smaller than the one that broke her to begin with, and one that finally healed that break – and for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter! Keep reading!


	3. Chapter 3

“Alphy,” Undyne whispered after a moment, pulling her gently away from her shoulder. Alphys shifted alongside her, and found herself pulled on top of Undyne. She smiled and wrapped her arms around Undyne's neck, resting her cheek on her chest, and she felt Undyne relax beneath her – for a moment.

Then, she tightened her hold around Alphys and whispered, “Alphy, please? I-I... I would...” She winced; why was it so hard to say all of a sudden? She usually had no trouble asking, usually only using two words and a growl, but for some reason she was now speechless.

Alphys suddenly shivered, surprising Undyne, and when she raised her head, Undyne saw that Alphys's face was red, her eyes warm and immediately locked on hers. Undyne tried again, but couldn't form words, suddenly overcome with emotion, so instead, she reached down and took hold of Alphys by the backs of her knees, pulling her up and wrapping those legs around her waist. Alphys shifted and straddled her, her hands going to Undyne’s shoulders. Undyne parted her legs, moving her hands to Alphys's hips and digging her nails in.

Through it all, they kept eye contact, unable to look away – and not wanting to even if they could. When Alphys reached between them, then moved her hips down against Undyne's, they still kept that contact, though the moment their flesh touched, a sheen of pure, shared desire lit up in their eyes.

Undyne then closed her eye and laid back, inhaling sharply, her arms going around Alphys's waist and pulling her down closer. Alphys complied – and added to it, kissing Undyne's lips softly.

As they kissed, they stayed still for a moment, just taking everything in, all of it, all of the other and keeping her close. Then, without pausing, Alphys shifted against Undyne, making sure their clits rubbed close, and Undyne purred, shifting her legs and pushing herself up in response. Alphys purred this time, moving her hands down and grabbing hold of Undyne's hips. Undyne grinned in delight from that, grabbing hold of Alphys's shoulders and urging her to keep going.

Alphys did, gently increasing the pace and pulling from their kiss to capture one of Undyne's nipples between her lips. Undyne arched up with a gasp and managed to say, _“Yes, thank you!”_

Alphys snorted, then giggled, stumbling a little in her mirth. Undyne then growled in embarrassment, burying her face into Alphys’s shoulder and biting her gently. Alphys merely moved to the other nipple and flicked her tongue over it, before increasing the pace – and bringing another gasp from Undyne.

Undyne shut her eye and grinned, her eye burning with tears of joy. Being with Alphys like this, after all that had happened, was a dream, and she loved it – and Alphys. Within Alphys's arms, making love with her, made her feel not only alive, again, but actually worthy of living. And she lived within Alphys's arms, completely.

Alphys moved her head back up and kissed Undyne again deeply, feeling her own emotions take control of her body and finding herself starving for Undyne's lips. This was a dream she never wanted to wake up from.

Undyne growled deeply after another blissful moment, her body flashing hot and her mind hazing over. She squirmed beneath Alphys, digging her nails into her back and her heels into the bed, that growl turning into sharp, urgent cries. Alphys pulled away and bit down gently right at the curve of Undyne's neck, and she gasped out a strained laugh, urging Alphys to move faster, harder, _forever_...

Alphys understood and of course followed through, feeling a thrill strike her belly at the sight of Undyne's growing pleasure, and she wanted to do _anything_ to bring Undyne to that edge. Right now, it was all she cared about.

Then, Undyne started repeating a single word that made Alphys so happy: _”Yes!”_ Alphys grinned, looking up to watch her – something she was completely oblivious to. She was grinning wildly, her eye shut tight and her face bright red, every second breath a cry of pleasure.

Finally, Undyne clung to Alphys, unable to form a single word, now, as she was finally overcome. She felt it sweep through her, pull her off of her feet, and promptly set her down at Alphys's feet. She tried to say Alphys's name – but the only thing that came out was an incoherent string of cries.

Alphys held her close, easing her through it, her eyes closed and her smile bright. She listened to Undyne, felt her, even smelt and tasted her, and she felt so happy, so comforted, that she felt tears well up within her.

Undyne gradually calmed, going limp beneath Alphys, gasping for breath with that thrilled grin on her face, her eye still closed. Alphys leaned down and kissed her lips lightly, something Undyne returned with a soft, satisfied laugh.

When she reached up and touched Alphys's face, she froze, her eye snapping open: she could feel the tears on her cheeks. But when she looked, Alphys was beaming at her. And suddenly Undyne was crying, too.

“Alphy...” she murmured, and Alphys nodded, sniffling. “I... I’m...”

“No,” Alphys suddenly cut her off with, covering her mouth at the same time. “I already know. I already forgive you.”

Undyne shut her eye tight, feeling herself start to tremble again. She reached up and pulled Alphys's hand closer, kissing its palm, before placing it on her cheek. Alphys brushed her thumb over her cheek, and she sobbed softly, feeling so much all at once and feeling as though she wasn't strong enough to take it.

“I’m here,” Alphys whispered. She closed her eyes and nuzzled Undyne's other cheek. She felt so much better already, just by the fact that Undyne did, too – and had finally remembered how wonderful living could be. She shifted to move beside her, to hold her better, but when she did, Undyne suddenly grabbed her and stopped her, surprising her.

“Undyne?” she murmured, looking down at her. Undyne stared up at her, her eye blazing and full, and her hold was firm. “It's okay, I just wanted to cuddle you. I'm not leaving.”

“No,” Undyne answered sharply, shaking her head. “Alphy, not yet. _Please_ , not yet.”

Alphys blinked at her. “O-oh!” She smiled. “Yes, of-of course, I’d _love_ to, I’d love you to--,”

“No, _you_ ,” Undyne cut her off with, grabbing her face and kissing her – and hard.

Alphys squeaked with more surprise, but when she felt Undyne pull her down closer, as well as slide her hands down Alphys's sides, Alphys lost her brain immediately. She returned that kiss, deepened it, and pressed down, reaching between them again and making sure they once more connected, feeling heat stab her belly when she felt how wet and slick Undyne was. 

The moment that happened, Undyne growled, shivering. Alphys pulled away to kiss her neck, smiling with mischief, before she began to move – and specifically for Undyne's pleasure.

Undyne gasped in surprise, her own brain leaving her the second that happened, and she moved to meet Alphys's pace, suddenly eager, herself. She knew why, of course she did, but she didn't want to think about it right now.

Not like this. Not in Alphys's arms.

She understood, too, why Alphys moved the way she did – especially when she felt Alphys's hands move to her own sides and stroke her gills – but she felt the same way, and wanted the same for Alphys.

“Alphy,” she gasped out when she could – longer than she'd expected, as Alphys was making love to her in a way that left her speechless. _“Alphy.”_

Alphys looked up and nodded, nuzzling her cheek with her own, again, but not pausing.

“To... together?” Undyne managed, her nails digging into Alphys's hips.

“O-oh,” Alphys stammered, blushing deeper. “N-no, you don't h-have to.”

“I want to,” Undyne answered, looking right into her eyes. “I want to, Alphy. I want to. Please.” She then growled, her eye shutting briefly. _“Please!”_ she cried out, starting to feel desperate, again.

Alphys bit her lip, her eyes stinging, before she nodded, shifting herself to move a bit differently, but with no less pleasure for Undyne. In fact, the moment she saw Alphys's eyes glitter, then close, Undyne grinned, shivering in delight and pulling her down, again.

“Yes,” she whispered, and this time Alphys shivered. “Together...”

“Together,” Alphys agreed, before kissing her, again. When she did, Undyne grabbed hold of her face and held her there, returning that kiss urgently, moving her hips up each time Alphys moved hers down.

It wasn't long before Alphys started to feel herself close, nor was it long before Undyne did, too. She heard Alphys crying out softly as they continued to kiss, and opened her eye to see hers shut tight, her face bright red and sweaty - as was her body. Her claws dug into Undyne's hips hard, a stinging pain that Undyne relished in, because she knew what it meant – and loved it. She loved seeing Alphys's pleasure, loved watching her come, and this time was especially sweet.

Alphys was started to lose her hold on herself, her ability to hold back slowly vanishing. She tried, with everything she had, to wait until Undyne had come, first, but the faster they moved, the harder it was.

“Undyne,” she gasped against Undyne's lips, reaching up and brushing her sweaty hair away from her face – and promptly getting her hand tangled in it. She decided not to care. “Undyne... I-I... I'm tr-trying...”

Undyne nodded, her head tilting back and her breaths short. She knew Alphys was close, and felt her own excitement grow from that fact alone – and with it, so did the proximity of her second orgasm.

“Yes,” Undyne whispered, her voice strained. “ _Yes_ , don’t hold... don't hold back... don’t stop... _don't stop, Alphy...!”_

Alphys cried out, then, unable to hold back when she heard the desire and need in Undyne's voice. She leaned down again and kissed her, just as she cried out again, her eyes squeezing shut. She started to get clumsy, a little sporadic, but Undyne couldn't care less; each clumsy shift brought her closer and closer, and she didn't care.

Alphys then keened out, her breath catching on Undyne's name as she came, hard – so hard her eyes rolled up and she cried out again, over and over. Undyne kissed her again, the sound of Alphys's name on her lips, as well, as feeling her wife come was like a nudge for her own body to imitate hers, and she felt her own orgasm overtake her yet again.

It was incredibly intense for both of them, both stumbling and crying out for each other, both utterly consumed by the pleasure they gave each other. It felt like it lasted far longer than it did, and it was made all the more sweet by the fact that it was shared.

But soon, Alphys suddenly collapsed atop Undyne, gasping for breath and holding onto her for dear life; Undyne held her tight, feeling similar, and for that moment, they both floated in a kind of haze, their minds as well as bodies completely overcome with each other.

Then, surprising them both, Undyne started to cry. It wasn't soft, and it wasn't subtle; she burst into tears, sobbing immediately, before she grabbed Alphys's face and pulled it to hers, kissing her deeply – so deeply that Alphys moaned softly and shivered, returning it eagerly.

“I love you,” Undyne gasped out between kisses, between sobs. “I love you, Alphy. I love you _so much. I love you so fucking much...!”_

“Shh,” Alphys answered gently, managing to untangle her claws to brush away those tears. “Undyne, it's okay... it's okay. I love you, too. Nothing's changed – except... except that I want to help you, better...”

Undyne stared up at her, searching her face as she still wept. “I fucked up,” she admitted. “I fucked up, Alphy.”

“Yes,” Alphys agreed. For some reason, the fact that Alphys agreed with her instead of protesting it made Undyne feel so much better. “But I’m not going anywhere, okay?”

“Please don't leave me,” Undyne begged, before sinking her teeth into her lip, embarrassed. Alphys had just said she wouldn't, and yet she'd pleaded, anyway.

But again, Alphys was kind, and she smiled, her own eyes wavering with tears. “I won't,” she said firmly. “Not on purpose, and never... _never_ by my own hand...” When she said that, her tears fell free. She meant it, and it affected her deeply - because she'd never truly meant it before. “Please, Undyne… please promise me, too.”

“I promise,” Undyne agreed right away, meaning it with everything she was, everything she could be. “I promise you.”

Alphys sobbed, then, moving down and burying her face into Undyne's shoulder, clinging onto her tightly – even her tail.

“Thank you...” she sobbed, her words barely coherent with her tears. “Thank you, Undyne... _Please_... Just come to me. Please? I will, with you, too...”

“Yes,” Undyne agreed, reaching down and grabbing the duvet, then throwing it over them both. Alphys grabbed it briefly to pull it around them better, before she cuddled back in Undyne's arms.

“Thank you,” Alphys whispered, closing her eyes and relaxing.

“Thank you, too,” Undyne agreed, kissing Alphys's nose – and making her laugh weakly, a bonus.

* * *

Both kept their promise.

Even when things got rough, for either of them, and it seemed like there was no other solution, they still went to each other, instead.

And each time, they grew closer, stronger, every time they walked away from death – and into the arms of the other.

Every time.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, Anglejoyce, for challenging me to write this story. It was an excellent way to delve into Undyne's most vulnerable states and emotions, and while it wasn't easy to write, it was no less rewarding. I'm so glad you not only suggested it, but kept encouraging me to write it, and never giving up on me while doing so. 
> 
> So thank you, imouto. With everything I am, thank you.


End file.
